Welcome back. We’re coming towards the end of Mindful March. We hope you have enjoyed learning to slow down and be present with us. Mindfulness is not always easy, but we hope you’ll agree that it is always worth it and hopefully you have found some tips you’d like to stick with beyond this month. Towards the end of this week, we’ll talk you through another mindfulness exercise: Mindful Eating. It’s a lovely way to slow down and really appreciate the food you are eating.
- Tuesday March 24
Mindfully prepare a meal. Can you chop a carrot while thinking only about chopping that carrot?
- Wednesday March 25
Take a Mindful Music Break. Spend a few minutes actively listening to music.
- Thursday March 26
End the day by clearing clutter and cleaning your workspace before setting tomorrow’s intentions.
- Friday March 27
No multi-tasking... Be present by focusing on each individual task one by one.
- Saturday March 28
Eat mindfully. Observe colours and smells, then chew slowly, appreciating textures and flavours.
Many of us eat mindlessly… inhaling a piece of toast as we race out the door or chomping lunch at our desk. However, eating is the perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness and it also helps us to recognise when we’re full, making it easier to avoid binge eating. A common mindfulness eating practice is done with a sultana and asks the participant to spend a few minutes engaging each of their senses. 1. Look at the sultana and notice the weight, colour, shape, texture, and size. 2. Smell the sultana and notice if you have any memories or reactions in your body. 3. Put it in your mouth and roll it to different parts of your mouth. Take a bite and notice the taste. Slowly chew the sultana and notice all the parts of your mouth in action.
Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to eat a packet of raising doing that exercise. There’s no need to go to this level of detail each time you eat, but it’s worth trying to eat more mindfully by incorporating these simple tips into your mealtime.
1. Eat slowly, without rushing.
2. Chew each mouthful thoroughly.
3. Eliminate distractions – no TV or phone.
4. Focus on how the food makes you feel.
5. Stop eating when you are almost full.
- Sunday March 29
This morning, spend 10 minutes writing anything that comes to mind without judgement.
- Monday March 30
5 Senses. Note 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you taste.
- Tuesday March 31
Head outside and find 5 beautiful things. Take a moment to appreciate each one.
Click here for a downloadable PDF with this week's tips, to print off and pop on your fridge or desk.
To see last week's tips, go to Mindful March - Week Three.